Airship



April 17, 1 928.

2 Sheets-Shes}. l

W/MMW B. N. WALLIS AIRSHIP Filed May 29, 1925 LAW April 17, I 928.

B, N. WALLIS AIRSHIP Filed May 29. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q such as non-return valves,

- SHIP GUARANTEE QMI NY,

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Application filed May ze, 1e25, Serial u This invention relates to airships ofthe kiiidin which provision is made for accommodating an inert-'or relatively inert gas scenes nitrogen, carbon dioxide, etc, be-

tween'the' usuahhy'dr'o'gen g s" bag r bags and the external envelope of the or being penetrated -loy' fire, diary bullet, bomb or otherf missile, 'the'iner't ga's vvill' serve to'pre'vent or restrain thehy drogengas' from"burning;"

"The usual proposals for accommodating inertbr relatively inert gas possess the objection thatQoWing' to the -increased pressure prevail'i' airship, the "compartment'-containing the inert gas is'collapsed"at the top of the air- I ship, so that the hydrogen gas bags are either unprotected in these regionslor' else are not prem he' n' we? all r n b 1 1 envelope of inert v I dlrccording to] thdpres'ent invention thls objection is overcomeiby accommodating the inert or relatively inert gas Within a bag or envelope comprising outer and inner Walls (hereinafter termed. the nitrogen envelope), hicheiivelope surrounds the hydrogen-gas bag orfeach separate "gas bag;

vided Withpalrtitions which serve to connect so fidgeuier" thesaid outer and inner must of'the partition Walls may begastight'so as to dividethe" nitrogen envelopeinto a num and, suitable means, I maybe provided forplaci'ng the various sections in communicationvvith one another so as to enable them to'qbe filled 'from'a common supply pipe while preventing the escape of -nitrogjen from other sections,'i'n the event of one or more sections being ruptured. VVh'e'n the nitrogen envelope is inflated, "compartments of circular or appr' in cross section Ivvill" be formed aroun gas bag or each'gas hag. 7; p

ber of s'ep aratesections II I I I I airship, so V that 'in 'the vent ofthe" hydrogen gas bag 7 an" incenrig at the upper regionsbf the;

posed of 'aw'non-gast'i'ght material, o'r certain oXimately circular-shape d i i BARNE NEVILLE WALTJIS, r W wm T 40 5 6 1; ENGLAND, seams 120 Mini LIMITED QEQ ND N; ENGLAND, er umlsfi com- 33,680, ancl in GIeat IIBri cain June 12 1924 i I Suitable means are provided forpermittrng'the nitrogen to escape from its envelope or envelopes in proportion to' the'es ape of thehydrogen gas from its bagor bagls;

provision being necessary owing to the 'eX pansion of'tliegas due to-thedecrease mat; mos'pherl'c pressureivhichtakes p ate-es the? air ship risesif The nitrogen 'main preferably constructed ofthe samefrn terial.as.w I

he ni r n envel e and a n may" e provided with {suitable Y non-returnvalveis in addition to orinflieu' of'the aforesaidiio system, Whichmayhef-of thetype described 1924 is preferably} arrangedfoutside the Iii? between the hydrogen I'ga 'sf m sh'wiring; I h

@In order-ithat he said inventionmaybe, clearlyunderstood and readilyi'cerriea" to effect the" same Will noW be describe'd fully with reference to th 'aecompmi 1ng drawing; which shows'by bfe mmple- P es nt nverts Figure l is an axlalse'ctlon of the centre one *embodi'rnentfof the and in whichz portionof a rigid airship showiiighy 'bgen gas gags fitted with nitrogen "envelopes structed according" to the present invention. Figure 2 a diagrammatic Y bra-revises section, the halfse'c'ti'on onthe left jhand side:

of the figureshowin e-h q gen1gasta a I eln inflated and thehalfjs'e'ction 'on the .1 right hand sideofthe figuref'shovving position assumed -'by' the nitrogen nvel When thehydrogengas bag is partly flat' d 1 J i r i'fiv-i -fl; =1 i II ''"Figure 3' is "adetail viewfon lanen-e' larged *scale showing the position of one of the automatic" and .manoeuvringgas valves forrelieving the fpre s sure elf-the I drogen gas bag. 'Ei enlargedmne a rmn of a g s bag fitted withthe-inert' gas containing-envelope. A, A are the" longitudinal frames of the 4" is a s'ectional' view showing on an airship. 13,13 are the transverse frames: It Wll'l be observed that the transverse-fi ames are'triangular in cross section vvith'the apex directed inwards towards the axis of the airship and that the longitudinaliraines fare I also triangular in" cross section the apex being directed'outwards; 'C, Gfarethe hi drogen gas bags, and D, D are the nitrogen envelopes. In the example shown the nitrogen envelopes are formed by providing the outer gastight wall 0 of the gas bag with a number of non-gastight partitions d, d as also a number of gastight partitions (Z (Z pitched at suitable distances apart, the partitions being sewn or otherwise connected at their inner edges to the gas bag C and at their outer edges to a lining d d composed of nitrogen-tight material. E, E is the mesh Wiring which encloses both the nitrogen envelopes D, D and the gas bags C, O. The gas bags are filled from a hydrogen main F, and the nitrogen envelopes D, D from a nitrogen main G. The relief valves are shown at J, J and the non-return valves at K, K, the latter being fitted in the gas tight partitions d. K is shown in the open position and consists of a fabric sleeve which, during charging of the inert gas envelope, allows the gas to flow through the valve. If, however, the gas tight compartment is ruptured the reversal of pressure within the compartment causes the sleeve K to collapse, thus sealing the opening in the gas tight partition 65.

The nitrogen envelopes D, D in the example shown merely surround the periphery and part of the sides of each gas bag C, but it will be understood that, if, desired, nitrogen envelopes can also be located be tween contiguous gas bags; in such cases the nitrogen envelopes will be continued on one or both sides of the mesh wiring or bracing wires, located at H, H, between contiguous gas bags.

The automatic and manoeuvring gas valve I (Figure 3) for the hydrogen gas bag C, communicates with the interior space of the transverse frame B, the latter thus acting.

asa gas trunk for conducting the hydrogen to a suitable opening located at the top of the airship. The relief valves for the nitro gen envelopes D, D can also communicate in a similar manner with the interior of the frames B, B.

Instead of the said nitrogen envelopes being constituted by annular compartments as aforesaid, they may be formed by longitudinally disposed segmental sections, in which case each section may be charged with nitrogen to a pressure equal to the pressure to which it. will be subjected by the hydrogen in the corresponding section or region of the gas bag. Each section of the nitrogen envelope will be provided with a suitable charging non-return valve to enable it to be charged to the proper degree as also with a relief valve which may be set to blow off at a pressure slightly in excess of its normal Working pressure. v 7

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 7 1. An airship provided with a plurality of The non-return valve separate gas bags, each gas bag comprising an inner chamber for containing a lifting gas and an outer chamber surrounding saidinner chamber for containing an inert gas, gas-tight partitions dividing up said outer chamber into separate gas-tight compartments and other partitions dividing up said outer chamber into non gastight compartments.

2. A hydrogen gas bag for an airship provided externally with a surrounding envelope comprising inner and outer walls and partitions which serve to connect together said outer and inner walls, some of said partitions being gas-tight and some non gas-tight. I

3. An airship provided with a plurality of separate gas bags, each gas bag comprising an inner chamber for containing a lifting gas and an out-er chamber surrounding saidiinner chamber for containing aninert gas, gastight partitions dividing up said outer chamber into separate gastight com partments, other partitions dividing up said outer chamber into non-gastight compartments, and a network of mesh wiring Circumferentially surrounding said outer chamv I ber. u

v 4. An airship provided with a plurality of separate gas bags, each gas bag compris ing an inner chamber for containing a lifting gas and an outer chamber surrounding said inner chamber for containing an inert gas, gastight partitions dividing up said outer chamber into separate gastight compartments, other partitions dividing up said chamber into non-gastight compartments, and means permitting of the escape of the inert gas from said-outer chamber in proportion to the escape of lifting gas from said inner chamber.

5. An airship provided with a plurality of separate gas ba s, each gas bag comprising an inner cham er for containinga lifting gas and an outer chamber surrounding said inner chamber for containing an inert gas, gastight partitions dividing up said outer chamber into separate gastight compartments, other partitions dividing up said outer chamber into non-gastight compart ments, and relief valves in said outer chamber adapted to blow ofl at a pressure slightly in excess of the normal working pressure prevailing within said inner chamber.

6. An airship provided with a plurality of separate gas bags, each gas bag comprising an inner chamber for containing a lifting gas and an outer chamber surrounding said inner chamber for containing an inert gas, gastight partitions dividing up said outer chamber into separate gastight compartments, other partitions dividing up said outer chamber into non-gastight compartments, and valve means in said gastight partitions placing the separate comparti said inner chamber for containing an inert ments of said outer chamber in gas communication with one another. 7 7 V 1 7 An airship provided with a plurality of separate gas bags each gas bag comprising an inner chamber for containing a lifting gas and an outer chamber surrounding gas, gastight partitions dividing up said outer chamber into separate 'gastight compartments, other partitions dividing up said outer chamber into non;gastight compartments, and non-return charging valves in. sa1d"gast1ght part-itlons WhlCh place the separate compartments of said outer chamber in gas communlcatlonwith one another.-

8. A hydrogen gasbag of'an airshipproi 7 wall forming a chamber for containing an inert or relatively inert gas, said outer all being attached to vthe'gasbag by gastight partitions which 'divide up saidv chamber into separate gastight compartments and by .vided externally with an enveloping outer I other non -gastight partitions Whichdivide up said outer chamber into non-gastight 5 BARNES N VILLE- ALLIS i compartments, relief valves 'in said outer Z ivall and Valve means for 

